2017 Tiergarten Conference

Transcription

1 2017 Tiergarten Conference Crisis of Multilateralism? Peace Politics in the Age of Authoritarianism, Nationalism and Populism Conference and panel discussion Thursday, November 30, 2017 Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Hiroshimastr. 17, Berlin Authoritarianism, nationalism and populism all over the world are putting multilateral peace and security policy to the test. In a world marked by nationalism and authoritarianism, international institutions and rules agreed upon by countries are shunned, at best only being held to apply to other states. If institutions of the liberal world order have offered at least a modicum of predictability and reliability, the emerging order of antagonistic nationalisms heralds an epoch of volatile complexity. Sustainable peace politics presupposes a willingness to compromise, assume responsibility and an international commitment - predicates that are incompatible with an "our country first" attitude. The election of Donald Trump, which puts a preliminary end to the heyday of the global governance architecture of the 1990s and 2000s, is more of a symptom than cause of global upheavals. Violent societal and international conflicts have increased over the last few years, with expenditures on arms surging to new levels year after year. Conflicts in Europe that were thought to have been resolved have rekindled, even casting doubt on the viability of the European security architecture. National, ethnic and religious conflicts of identity are mobilising the masses in many regions of the world. All of these developments go hand in hand with a desire for strong leaders and national isolationism. The organs of multilateral politics have themselves no doubt also contributed to their demise: Technocratic institutions were able to avoid urgently needed reforms in the direction of more transparency, effectiveness and accountability for too long - this also goes for the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU). Nevertheless, multilateralism based on values is and remains a precondition for sustainable peace to which there is no alternative: How else can the various transnational conflicts like the ones raging in Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, Syria or Ukraine otherwise be resolved if not through rules that are jointly legitimised and enforced? Yet, the UN, the most important forum for the establishment and enforcement of global rules, and other regional cooperative alliances are only as effective as their members allow. Against the background of a renationalisation of politics, it is therefore not surprising that the UN and the European peace architecture face similar profound crises.

2 Program of expert conference Venue: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Conference Room 1, Hiroshimastr. 17, Berlin Thursday, November, 30 th, a.m. Registration 9.00 a.m. Opening remarks by Ingrid Matthäus-Maier (tbc) Chair of the Board of Trustees of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 9.10 a.m. Keynote: The erosion of the rule-based global order: What future for peace and security in a renationalized international system? Keynote speaker Terje Rød-Larsen (tbc) President of the International Peace Institute, New York; former Norwegian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Planning and Cooperation In a world of global interdependencies, nationalist policies lead to political impasse and conflicts. With their purportedly simple solutions of isolationism and withdrawal, nationalists and populists offer what would appear to be solutions to complex global problems. National "go-it-alone" strategies and special deals based on parochial national interests discredit binding global and regional mechanisms in cooperation based on rules and values, however. As a result, cooperative structures founded on the basis of common values erode, only causing the discrepancy between global problems and global capacities to solve these problems to further widen. Democratic politics has run up against the wall, and is having major difficulties emerging from a permanent crisis mode. On the other hand, the world community has demonstrated through the conclusion of the Paris Climate Agreement, the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and the nuclear deal with Iran that it is certainly possible to negotiate a consensus for a more peaceful world. Given these countervailing tendencies, what future does a breed of multilateralism based on rules and norms have? What are the ramifications of nationalistic politics for effectively functioning international organisations and the development of global norms and standards? To what extent can the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Agenda offer grounds for hope that international agreements will be forged in the future to deal with global problems?

3 a.m. Panel I: Our country first : Is there a need for a reinvention of the multilateral conflict resolution system? Participants Richard Gowan, Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations Pang Zhongying, Distinguished Professor of Global Studies/Global Governance, Dean of the Advanced Institute of Ocean Development, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China Rouzbeh Parsi, Senior Lecturer, Human Rights Studies, Department of History, University of Lund Tom Perriello, Former Representative of US Congress; former US Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa Feodor Voytolovsky, Acting Director, Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO), Russia Bettina Luise Rürup Executive Director, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, New York Office US President Trump's various assaults on multilateralism demonstrate a lacking political will to steer globalization and develop a cooperation-based peace and security architecture. The other members of the UN Security Council do not seem to be inclined or able to further develop the multilateral peace and security policy either. Under conditions of increased confrontation international conflict resolution mechanisms cannot effectively function as the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Syria and Yemen daily demonstrate. Whether European security partnerships with African countries, American and Russian interventions in the Near and Middle East or China's posturing in South and East Asia: National interests, which focus on short-term benefits, undermine the ideas and principles of multilateral policy. What are the consequences of increasingly nationalistic foreign policies for international security and peace? How important is the liberal world order to the preservation of international peace and security in 2017? Would China and Russia be willing and able to assume a greater role in shaping global politics? If so, what would this look like? What would be the repercussions for international cooperation and the UN peace and security architecture?

4 11.30 a.m p.m. Panel II: Forging multilateral solutions without multilateralists: How to revive security cooperation in Europe? Participants Niels Annen, Member of Parliament, Foreign policy speaker of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) Pascal Boniface, Director, Institut de relations internationales et stratégiques (IRIS), France Patricia Flor, Commissioner and Head of the Federal Foreign Office s Directorate-General for International Order, the United Nations and Arms Control Yulia Nikitina, Associate Professor of World Politics and Research Fellow at the Center for the Post-Soviet Studies at the Moscow State University of International Relations (MGIMO) Reinhard Krumm, Director, Regional Office for Cooperation and Peace in Europe (ROCPE), Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Vienna Office Since the annexation of the Crimea and military conflict erupting in East Ukraine at the latest, the European peace and security order as enshrined in the Paris Charta from 1990 is under threat. Neighbours again feel threatened by each other. Tensions in the relations between East and West relate to a fundamental conflict over the structure and design of the European order. With the stabilizing role of the USA in question, Russia s lack of constructive dialogue and amid mounting nationalisms in Europe, diplomatic efforts seem to have stalled finding solutions to stabilising the European security order. The longer it takes to reach an understanding, the greater the risk for growing fragmentation and polarisation in Europe, including (south) eastern European and Caucasus societies. Does the Paris Charta still serve as the foundation of European security? If not, who could be the champions for new trust-building and reconciliation initiatives? Or could it be that managing the security crisis is the best option for now? How can European voters be attracted to support and embark on new foreign policy directions in times of uncertainty and the retreat to the fortress of nationalism? p.m. Lunch

5 p.m. Panel III: Against the alliance of authoritarians - progressive domestic and foreign policy for a strong multilateralism Participants Matt Duss, Foreign Policy Advisor to US Senator Bernie Sanders (VT) Monica Herz, Associate Professor, Institute of International Relations, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro Inge Kaul (tbc), Adjunct professor, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin; former positions, i.a. Director, Office of Development Studies, UNDP New York; Director, Human Development Report Office, UNDP, New York Rolf Mützenich, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Social Democratic Party of Germany, Member of Parliament Jochen Steinhilber, Head of the Department for Global Policy and Development, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Berlin In view of resurgent right-wing populism and authoritarianism throughout the world, German Social Democracy's leading foreign policy-makers are calling for the formation of an international "alliance against authoritarians". In its agenda for peace and justice, the Progressive Alliance, an amalgamation of approximately 130 Social Democratic and progressive parties and organisations from all over the world, are demanding the creation of a political and economic system that is designed to place people at the forefront in all political action. Specific demands and strategies for action aim at among other things an improvement in the effectiveness and efficiency of the United Nations (UN) and reforms of the UN peace and security architecture. As indispensable as these reforms are - they can only be successful if UN members expand their multilateral commitment. How can propositions like these be put into practice in an atmosphere of nationalism and isolationism? How can citizens be persuaded of the need for stronger international commitment to counter the enticements of nationalistic populist stances? How can progressive foreign policy overcome the dilemma that internationalism and globalism stand in opposition to desires for walls and a return to the nation? 4.00 p.m. End of the closed expert meeting of the Tiergarten Conference

6 Public Panel Discussion: Multilateralism in Crisis? Peace Politics in the Age of Authoritarianism, Nationalism and Populism Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Conference Room 2, Hiroshimastr.28, Berlin 6.00 p.m. Opening by Kurt Beck, Former Minister President of Rhineland- Palatinate and President of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 6.10 p.m. Keynote Speech 6.30 p.m. Podium Discussion Martin Schulz Chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Germany; Member of Parliament Participants Pascal Boniface, Director, Institut de relations internationales et stratégiques (IRIS), France Richard Gowan, Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations Rolf Mützenich, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Social Democratic Party of Germany, Member of Parliament Yulia Nikitina, Associate Professor of World Politics and Research Fellow at the Center for the Post-Soviet Studies, Moscow State University of International Relations (MGIMO) Rouzbeh Parsi, Senior Lecturer, Human Rights Studies, Department of History, University of Lund Tom Perriello, Former Representative of US Congress; former US Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region of Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo Vivian Perkovic, Journalist / TV Presenter 8.00 p.m. End of discussion followed by a reception A simultaneous English-German / German-English translation of both the expert conference and the public panel discussion will be provided.